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AFEX Outlines Obligations of States on Safety of Journalists and Issue of Impunity

Felicia Anthonio
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AFEX Outlines Obligations of States on Safety of Journalists and Issue of Impunity

The Chair of the African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX), Mr. Edetaen Ojo has called on governments across the globe to respect international frameworks on safety of journalists and issue of Impunity. The remarks were made on his behalf by the Coordinator of the AFEX network, Ms. Felicia Anthonio, during a one-day Stakeholders’ Dialogue on Journalists’ Safety in South Sudan on December 11, 2017. The Dialogue is part of a series of activities put in place by AFEX to mark this year’s International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists (IDEI) which was rescheduled to Human Rights Day which was celebrated globally on December 10, 2017.

Read full text of the statement below:

Remarks

By Edetaen Ojo

Chair, Steering Committee

African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX)

At the Stakeholders’ Dialogue on Safety of Journalists and Issue of Impunity

Held in Juba, South Sudan, on Monday, December 11, 2017

Delivered by Ms Felicia Anthonio, Coordinator of AFEX

Let me start by apologizing for my inability to physically attend this very important Dialogue.  I truly regret not being able to participate personally as I had planned to.  This event was originally planned to hold on November 2, which is the United Nations designated International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists (IDEI).

Unfortunately, due to a combination of several factors, it could not hold at that time and had to be rescheduled.  Regrettably, although the parties concerned agreed that this was the most viable time for it to take place, in view of a variety of other activities on the continent and globally, I was already committed to another international meeting which had been scheduled several months ago and for which I had already confirmed my participation.  I therefore hope that you will accept my sincere apologies for not joining you physically today.

I am however very pleased that we are able to hold this event and thank our member, the Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS) and other partners and stakeholders for their efforts in ensuring that the event becomes a reality.

As we all know, the media community is under relentless attack.  Not just in South Sudan or in Africa, but globally.  Such attacks include killing, torture, enforced disappearance, arbitrary arrest and arbitrary detention, expulsions, intimidation, harassment, threats and other forms of violence.

The situation has rightly elicited concern within the international community and a series of measures are being taken to address the situation.

For instance, on April 12, 2012, the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination endorsed the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, in which United Nations agencies, funds and programmes were invited to work with UN Member States to ensure a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers in both conflict and non-conflict situations, with a view to strengthening peace, democracy and development worldwide.

The UN Human Rights Council has already adopted resolutions 21/12 of September 27, 2012;  27/5 of September25,  2014; and 33/2 of September 29, 2016, all in response to the issue of the safety of journalists,

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has also compiled a report on good practices concerning the safety of journalists, which it submitted to the UN Human Rights Council at its 24th session.

These are just a few of the steps that have been taken by the international community to address a global problem which is very visible in Africa and on which we hope that African leaders will play a prominent role in finding effective solutions.

Just last month, the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly adopted by consensus, without a vote, resolution A/C.3/72/L.35 on “The safety of journalists and the issue of impunity”. The same resolution is expected to be adopted by the General Assembly before the end of the year.  In the resolution, the UN is urging its Member States “to do their utmost to prevent violence, threats and attacks against journalists and media workers, to ensure accountability through the conduct of impartial, speedy, thorough, independent and effective investigations into all alleged violence, threats and attacks against journalists and media workers falling within their jurisdiction, to bring perpetrators, including those who command, conspire to commit, aid and abet or cover up such crimes to justice, and to ensure that victims and their families have access to appropriate remedies”

The resolution also calls on States to create and maintain, in law and in practice, a safe and enabling environment for journalists to perform their work independently and without undue interference, including by means of:

(a)     legislative measures;

(b)     supporting the judiciary in considering training and awareness-raising and supporting training and awareness-raising among law enforcement officers and military personnel, as well as among journalists and civil society, regarding international human rights and international humanitarian law obligations and commitments relating to the safety of journalists, including with a strong focus on gender-based discrimination and violence against women journalists, as well as the particularities of online threats and harassment of women journalists;

(c)        regular monitoring and reporting of attacks against journalists;

(d)       collecting and analysing concrete quantitative and qualitative data on attacks or violence against journalists, that are disaggregated by, among other factors, gender;

(e)        publicly and systematically condemning violence and attacks;

(f)        dedicating the resources necessary to investigate and prosecute such attacks and to develop and implement gender-sensitive strategies for combating impunity for attacks and violence against journalists, including by using, where appropriate, good practices such as those identified in Human Rights Council resolution 33/2; and

(g)        putting in place safe gender-sensitive procedures and reparations in order to encourage women journalists to report attacks against them and providing adequate support, including psychosocial support, to victims and survivors.

The resolution also calls on States to ensure that measures to combat terrorism and preserve national security or public order are in compliance with their obligations under international law and do not arbitrarily or unduly hinder the work and safety of journalists, including through arbitrary arrest or detention or the threat thereof.

These are some of the responsibilities which South Sudan and other countries on the African continent and, indeed, around the world now have with respect to the ensuring the safety of journalists and combating the problem of impunity in this regard.

It is a matter of great regret that journalists across the African continent continue to face challenges that interfere in their watchdog role and that major perpetrators of the attacks against journalists frequently include security agents, state officials, or individuals.

It is in response to this situation that members of AFEX have convened this important meeting to discuss how we as stakeholders can contribute in promoting the safety of journalists’ situation and tackling impunity in South Sudan and across Africa.

We will note down all the suggestions and concerns raised during this meeting and together we will deliberate on how we can ensure that journalists and media professionals are free to carry out their duties.

Obviously, this is an important conversation that will continue well beyond this meeting.  Next year, the annual World Press Freedom Day celebrations on May 3 will come back to Africa, the place of its birth, as UNESCO hosts the main global activities in Accra, in collaboration with the Government of Ghana.  These conversations are certain to continue at this global gathering of key stakeholders from around the world.

In closing, I would like to thank the Toronto-based global freedom of expression network, IFEX, and the Norwegian People’s Aid for supporting this programme. I also want to thank the Government of South Sudan for creating the environment for this Dialogue to take place among critical stakeholders. I thank AMDISS for making the necessary logistics arrangements which have enabled this meeting to become a reality.

Finally, I want to thank all the participants present at this Dialogue for taking time off your busy schedules to attend this event. We do appreciate your participation as well as the warm reception and hospitality of the South Sudanese people which my colleagues from AFEX have already experienced within their short time here.

Thank you for your kind attention and have a fruitful discussion.

END/

 

Continued Detention of Staff of Red Pepper Newspaper, Alarming– AFEX

Felicia Anthonio
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Continued Detention of Staff of Red Pepper Newspaper, Alarming– AFEX

The Africa Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) joins its member, the Human Rights network for Journalists in Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda) to denounce the continued detention of staff of the Red Pepper newspaper in Uganda.

A Magistrate Court on December 6, 2017 adjourned the judgement on the bail application of the jailed journalists and directors of the newspaper to another two weeks.

Presiding judge, Chief Magistrate James Ereemye Mawanda of the Buganda Road Court remanded the group made up of five directors and three senior editors of the news outlet until December 19, 2017, saying he has received lengthy submissions from both parties which required much time to study.

By the adjourned date, the suspects would have spent nearly a month in prison without trial which is in violation of Uganda’s Constitution as well as international frameworks. They are Arinaitwe Rugyendo, Richard Kintu,, James Mujuni,  and Patrick Mugumya, . The remaining are Richard Tusiime, Johnson Musinguzi alias Byarabaha, Ben Byarabaha, and Francis Tumusiime.

On November 21, 2017 police raided the offices of the Red Pepper newspaper, confiscated electronic gagdgets belonging to staff and arrested some of them. The arrested editors and directors were detained overnight at the Nalufenya police station, a place known for hardcore criminal suspects.

“We look at this continued imprisonment as a deliberate economic sabotage and an assault on the media. Its borders on selective application of the law which translates to persecution of the Red pepper journalists. The media has lately faced so many challenges including closure, censorship, harassment and intimidation. This situation points to tougher times for the media in Uganda”, said the HRNJ-Uganda National Coordinator, Robert Ssempala.

AFEX joins HRNJ-Uganda in expressing disappointment with the judge’s decision, especially the strange reason for the long period of adjournment. It is a decision pandered to the unfounded claim by state attorney Abdulsalam Waiswa that the suspects will “repeat the offense, endanger national security and frustrate on-going investigations.”

Prosecution alleges that the accused on November 20, 2017 published with intent to defame President Yoweri Museveni, an article dubbed “M7 plots to overthrow Kagame-Rwanda”.

The state claims that the article portrayed President Museveni, his brother Gen. Salim Saleh and security minister Lt.Gen Henery Tumukunde as plotting to overthrow the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame. The publication, according to the state attorney, injured the trio’s reputation, disturbed their peace and also subjected them to hatred, contempt and ridicule.

The Red Pepper premises in the Mukono district have remained closed since November 20, 2017 when it was declared a crime scene and surrounded by the Counter Terrorism Unit of Uganda Police.

AFEX finds the action taken against the Red Pepper newspaper as excessive and a deliberate attempt to intimidate the editors and directors of the media organisation into self-censorship.

We join HRNJ-Uganda to condemn the repression and call on President Museveni not only to dissociate himself from it but also order a stop to the persecution.

45 Days in Cyber Darkness: Cameroon Switches off Internet for Second Time in the Year

Felicia Anthonio
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45 Days in Cyber Darkness: Cameroon Switches off Internet for Second Time in the Year

The government of Cameroon has within the last one year shut down the Internet in its attempt to clampdown on demonstrations by aggrieved citizens of the two English-speaking regions of the country.

Leaders of the North-west and South-west regions of Cameroon have accused the central government of discrimination against their people from the only two Anglophone regions out of the Central African country’s ten administrative regions. Protests against the reported acts of marginalisation, which the government continues to deny, intensified in November 2016, when the Paul Biya government made an attempt to impose the use of French language in schools and courts in the two English speaking regions.

In its bid to restore calm to the restive Anglophone regions, the government ended up violating the fundamental human rights of its citizenry including their rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.

The national telecommunications and internet service provider, Cameroon Telecommunications (CAMTEL), on January 17, 2017 ordered Internet Service Providers in North-west and South-west regions to completely shut down the Internet in the two regions. What started as government’s expression of dissatisfaction about the ongoing protests turned out to be Africa’s longest Internet shutdown having lasted 94 days.  The three-month Internet shutdown had serious ramifications for political, economic and human development in the country.

The government again shut down the Internet on October 1, 2017 barely six months later, while the country is still struggling to recover from the economic loss from the previous shutdown estimated at U.S. $4.5 million.

Today, November 14, 2017 marks 45 days since the Cameroonian government deprived citizens of the restive English-speaking regions of Internet access – a blatant violation of their right to freedom of expression and access to information.

The African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) once again joins the international community to denounce the use of internet shutdowns as a mechanism to stifle free speech on the continent. Network shutdowns have proven futile during protests; in many instances, the cyber repression has rather helped fuel further anger and agitation among aggrieved citizens.

We call on President Paul Biya’s government to demonstrate its commitment to safeguard freedom of expression and access to information rights as enshrined in regional and international frameworks to which Cameroon is signatory.

AFEX urges President Biya to restore internet connection in the North-west and South-west Regions of Cameroon and ensure the protection of the lives of citizens in the dissenting regions.

We further call on the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Organisation (UNO) to intervene to ensure that the government of Cameroon and governments across the region put an end to the use of partial or complete network shutdowns to repress free speech during important national events under the guise of ‘protecting national security’.

Background

In November 2016, the Cameroonian government decided to impose the use of French language in public institutions in the two Anglophone regions sparking a wave of protests. Several citizens have been arrested, detained, disappeared or even killed while the Internet has been shut down on two occasions. Calls from local, regional and international human rights organisations urging the Cameroonian government and the leadership of the two English-speaking regions to resort to resolving their differences have gone unheeded.

PS: Kindly use the Infograph above or click here to download for advocacy to pressurise the Paul Biya Government to restore the Internet in the two English-speaking regions.

AFEX Calls on Authorities in Sudan to Respect Freedom of Movement Rights of Citizens

Felicia Anthonio
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AFEX Calls on Authorities in Sudan to Respect Freedom of Movement Rights of Citizens

The African Freedom of Expression is deeply concerned about the numerous reports of violations of the freedom of movement rights of journalists, human ri”ghts activists, and opposition leaders in Sudan.

Agents of Sudan’s National Intelligence Security Service, on October 27, 2017, barred Alaeldin Mahmoud, a Sudanese journalist working with El Khaleej newspaper based in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates from leaving the country after spending his annual leave in Khartoum.

According to local media reports, Alaeldin Mahmoud was stopped at the Khartoum international airport by security agents who informed him that his name was among other names on a travel blacklist.

Mahmoud’s ordeal is only the latest of a series of freedom of movement rights violations targeting journalists, media professionals, opposition leaders and dissidents.

Officials of the NISS prohibited the co-president of the National Umma Party {NUP} Mariam El Sadig El Mahdi from traveling out of Sudan on two occasions. On October 10, 2017, a security agent of the NISS reportedly confiscated El Mahdi’s boarding pass because he “didn’t like her appearance.” She was thus prevented from boarding the plane. The following day, El Mahdi was again stopped from leaving the airport to Paris via Cairo for the general conference of the Sudan Revolutionary Front. No reason was given.

Sadly, operatives of the NISS continue to enjoy absolute impunity for these violations as they are “immune to prosecution for any act committed against citizens in the course of their work” or “in good faith”, under the National Security Act 2010 (NSA).

Earlier this year (on January 13&14, 2017), agents of the NISS prevented seven prominent opposition leaders from travelling to the French capital, Paris where they were expected to participate in a series of meetings to discuss Sudan’s Appeal document which was adopted by the opposition leaders and rebel movements in Adisa Baba in December 2014. The opposition leaders are, Omar Yousef El Digeir, head of the Sudanese Congress Party, Kamal Ismail, Chairman of the National Alliance Party and Yahya Hussein, leader of the Sudanese Baath Party. The others include, Mohamed Abdallah El Doma and Maryam El Sadig, both deputy head of the National Umma Party (NUP), Sarah Nugdallah, NUP secretary-general, and Jalila Khamis Kuku of the Civil Society Initiative.

They are all leading proponents of the Sudan Appeal document which was signed on December 3, 2014 between the political and armed opposition leaders in Addis Ababa. The two-page document calls for the return of democracy and respect for human rights in the country.

On November 20, 2016, Siddig Yousef, member of the Central Bureau of the Communist Party of Sudan faced a similar plight after security agents at the airport informed him during departure procedures that he was on the blacklist of persons barred from leaving the country. It was the third time in a year that Yousef’s freedom of movement was being violated, the previous occurred in June and November 2015. In the first instance, he was barred, together with other opposition leaders, from boarding a flight to Strasbourg for a European Parliament hearing on Sudan. In the second incident, security officers stopped him and Ibrahim El Sheikh, head of the Sudanese Congress Party, from leaving Khartoum for the Egyptian capital where they were supposed to meet other Sudanese opposition leaders.

AFEX denounces the use of travel bans by the Sudanese government to frustrate journalists and political figures in the exercise of their rights to freedom of expression, movement and association within and outside Sudan.

Citizens’ right to freedom of movement is enshrined in Sudan’s national constitution as well as other regional frameworks to which Sudan is signatory.

Article 42 section 1 & 2 of Sudan’s Constitution of 2005 stipulates that 1. “Every citizen shall have the right to freedom of movement and the liberty to choose his residence except for reasons of public health and safety as shall be regulated by law.” 2. “Every citizen shall have the right to leave the country and return thereto as shall be regulated by law.”

Article 12 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) also provides for African governments to respect the freedom of movement rights of citizens.

AFEX finds it extremely worrying that authorities in Sudan tend to use travel bans as a means of preventing journalists and activists from carrying out their duties freely. Preventing citizens from traveling out of the country is unacceptable and demonstrates the government’s resolution to censor critical voices, from engaging with the outside world. We urge the government to call the NISS to order to put an end to the violation of freedom of movement and other fundamental rights of the Sudanese people.

Fighting Impunity: Major Breakthrough in The Gambia

Felicia Anthonio
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Fighting Impunity: Major Breakthrough in The Gambia

This statement was originally published on mfwa.org on November 6, 2017.

In what is a major breakthrough in the long fight against impunity in The Gambia, two senior government officials have revealed that the Gambian government has decided to comply with the rulings of the ECOWAS Court in the cases of murdered Deyda Hydara, disappeared Chief Ebrima Manneh and tortured Musa Saidykhan.

The Gambian Minister of Information and Communications Infrastructure, Hon Demba Ali Jawo and Special Advisor to the Minister of Justice, Mr Hussein Thomasi announced the decision on November 2, 2017 at a forum held by the MFWA in collaboration with the Gambia Press Union and IFEX to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists.

“The Honourable Minister of Justice has commenced negotiations for the fulfilment of the judgements,” Mr Hussein Thomasi said.  “We are members of ECOWAS so we cannot do anything in contravention of the body.”

The Minister of Information and Communications infrastructure, Hon Demba Ali Jawo, corroborated Mr Thomasi’s statement by adding  that the two Ministries are “going to discuss with the families and see how best to work out the modalities of settling the claims.”

Deyda Hydara a former president of the Gambia Press Union, editor of The Point newspaper and fierce critic of the Jammeh administration, was shot and killed by unknown assailants on his way from work on December 16, 2004. Following the incident, the state opened an investigation into his death and closed it after 22 days. Upon a successful suit by his family, the ECOWAS Court court found the Gambian government guilty of not conducting a proper investigation into his murder, thereby allowing a climate of impunity to thrive and thus stifling freedom of expression. The court also ordered the Gambian government to pay US$50,000 in compensatory damages.

In the case of Musa Saidykhan, he was arrested on March 27, 2006 at his home by  police and officials of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and taken to the agency’s offices were he was detained for 22 days. Within the period, Saidykhan was moved from various detention centres. While in detention, he was accused of being a traitor for appealing to then president of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki to intervene in the human rights violations (including the murder of Hydara) in The Gambia. The NIA also arrested two of his colleagues and accused them of authoring an ‘error-ridden’ story on a failed coup. The officials tortured them to various forms of torture on various occasions including the administration of electrical shocks to Saidykhan’s body which sent him into coma for about 30 minutes. He was later released on bail after which he went into exile.

Chief Ebrima Manneh a reporter of The Daily Observer, for his part, was arrested by the NIA on July 7, 2006. The NIA accused him of passing what it described as “damaging” information to a BBC journalist during an African Union meeting. He was also accused of attempting to republish a BBC story criticising Jammeh’s coup to power. After his arrest, Manneh was spotted with prison, police and NIA officers as he was moved between various police stations and detention centres. Despite overwhelming eyewitness evidence that the NIA arrested Manneh and detained him incommunicado on the orders of the Jammeh government, the government and the NIA always denied taking him into custody and has since not been seen.

In two separate cases, the MFWA filed a case at the ECOWAS court over the enforced disappearance of Chief Ebrima Manneh and the arbitrary arrest and torture of Musa Saidykhan. The court in 2008 ruled that Manneh’s arrest and detention was illegal and ordered the Gambian authorities to immediately release him and pay him or in in default his family US$100,000 compensation. The judgment was given in default as the Gambian government refused to enter an appearance. In 2010, the Court ruled that The Gambia had violated Saidykhan’s human rights and awarded him US$200,000 in compensatory damages.

The Gambia under Yahya Jammeh refused to comply with the Court’s judgement despite persistent calls by several organisations including the MFWA which, among other initiatives, petitioned ECOWAS to sanction The Gambia.

Following a successful transfer of power to the current administration, the MFWA undertook a mission to The Gambia and held discussions on the cases with government officials including the President, His Excellency Adama Barrow, who indicated his commitment to press freedom and fighting impunity in The Gambia. The announcement that measures have been put in place to start meeting with the families of the victims is therefore a milestone in the long and arduous journey embarked on by the MFWA and its national partner organisation in The Gambia, the GPU as well as other local and international media and human rights organisations such as IFEX to bring closure to the above three emblematic cases of impunity.

Journalists Call for Effective Measures to Tackle Impunity

Felicia Anthonio
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Journalists Call for Effective Measures to Tackle Impunity

This statement was originally published on nusoj.org on November 2, 2017.

Journalists converged in Mogadishu on 2 November 2017 for roundtable meeting hosted by the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) in cooperation with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), to mark the International Day to End Impunity of Crimes against Journalists, and called for effective measures to find and bring to book those who commit crimes against journalists.

“Killing a journalist has become the easiest and best possible option for those who want to silence journalists, because perpetrator believes he would not be held accountable for this horrific killing. We’d hold our government primarily responsible for the cases of impunity, since it is primary duty bearer of the security of citizens. Full force of the law applies to as. There must be no stone left unturned, no case left un-investigated and prosecuted” said Farah Lamaane, treasurer of NUSOJ, who spoke about the significance of the day.

Abdi Adan Guled, acting president of NUSOJ supreme council, narrated how the practice of impunity is wide in Somalia. He provided classical example of impunity case that happened to him last year. “I was detained unlawfully for couple of days. Government forces destroyed the property of our newspaper, and we were harassed without giving any explanation. I was ultimately released without any charge against me and no one was held responsible in the government for such an abuse of power and destruction of properties” said Guled.

“Journalists in Somalia continue to be targeted precisely because of the performance of their legitimate journalism or freedom of expression activities. Impunity remains the main challenge for the protection of journalists, and as such should be a priority for all branches of the Government” added Guled.

Nimo Hassan, chairperson of Somali women journalists’ club, emphasizes challenges female journalists face in the wake of increasing impunity. She recounted cases they’ve recorded on sexual harassment and deadly violence against female journalists when working in the media or seeking employment in the media.

“Female journalists are not spared from the deadly violence. But we also see cases of sexual harassment in the media committed by both those in government or private employers to use women journalists as sexual objects” said Nimo Hassan. “If the abuser is in a powerful position what would poor female reporter do to protect her from sexual harassment”.

NUSOJ recorded 40 journalists who were killed in Somalia from 2012 to 2017. Declarations of investigations of such killings by the Federal Government failed to lead to prosecution of suspected criminals, hence the flourishing impunity of crimes against journalists.

Journalists attending the commemoration collectively called on the Federal Government of Somalia to carry out a fair, independent and impartial investigation into killings and other attacks on journalists, and to address the prevailing impunity that permits such attacks against journalists to happen.

Ending Impunity: MISA Zimbabwe Calls on Government to Investigate Crimes against Journalists

Felicia Anthonio
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This statement was originally published on misa.org on November 2, 2017.

As the world commemorates International Day to end Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, MISA Zimbabwe urges the Zimbabwean government to investigate cases involving the assault of journalists conducting their lawful professional duties.

The investigations will assist in bringing the culprits to book and send a clear message to other would-be perpetrators that the government does not tolerate these wanton acts of impunity against journalists.

Cases that immediately come to mind involve the manhandling of NewsDay senior reporter Richard Chidza by ruling Zanu PF youths  who shoved and slapped  him at the end of a press conference on 19 October 2017 demanding that he reveals the source of a story regarding an alleged fall-out within the youth league’s leadership ranks.

On 29 September 2017 journalists Mugove Tafirenyika and Brighton Goko who work for the privately owned Daily News sustained serious injuries after being assaulted by the police while covering demonstrations in Harare’s central business district.

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2 November as International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists in commemoration of the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on 2 November 2013.

In that regard, the UN urges member states to do their utmost to prevent violence against journalists and media workers and bring perpetrators to justice as well as promoting a safe and enabling environment for journalists to work independently and without undue interference.

International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists: IPC Demands “Urgent Justice” for Attacked Journalists in Nigeria

Felicia Anthonio
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International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists: IPC Demands “Urgent Justice” for Attacked Journalists in Nigeria

MFWA, Partners to Intensify Efforts on Combating Impunity for Crimes against Journalists as the World Marks IDEI

Felicia Anthonio
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MFWA, Partners to Intensify Efforts on Combating Impunity for Crimes against Journalists as the World Marks IDEI

This statement was originally published on mfwa.org on November 2, 2017.

As the world marks the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI) today (November 2, 2017), the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and its national partner organisations across West Africa, have resolved to intensify joint efforts on promoting safety of journalists and countering the growing trend of impunity for crimes against journalists in the region.

The partners arrived at the decision at a two-day media conference held on October 27-28, 2017 in Accra, Ghana. The two-day meeting brought together journalists, media experts, head of press freedom advocacy organisations and government ministers from 13 countries in the region.

Presentations made at the conference by representatives of press freedom advocacy organisations from the various countries highlighted challenges of journalists’ safety and the fact that in most cases, crimes committed against journalists go investigated with perpetrators of such crimes going unpunished.

For example, from January to September 2017, some 115 cases of freedom of expression violations have been recorded in West Africa most of which were perpetrated against journalists. They have included murder of journalists, arbitrary attacks, arrests and detentions, among other violations. Nearly all the violations have not been investigated and perpetrators not punished.

During their presentations and contributions, the Ministers of Information of Ghana and The Gambia, highlighted the importance of press freedom as well as combatting impunity for crimes against journalists.

The Ministers, thus, indicated a commitment to be champions of press freedom and advocates for anti-impunity for crimes against journalists in the region. Other officials from media regulatory bodies and journalists’ unions made similar commitments to support anti-impunity campaigns in the region.

To mark the day, the Nigeria-based International Press Centre (IPC), has catalogued a series of violations against journalists in Nigeria on which no proper investigations have carried out and perpetrators not punished.

The MFWA is also holding an anti-impunity Forum in The Gambia to highlight three cases on which the Gambian government has failed to comply with judgement of ECOWAS Community Court of Justice which ordered compensation to be paid in respect of three journalists whose rights were violated.

The said cases involved the torture of Musa Saidykhan, disappearance of Chief Ebrima Manneh and the murder of Deyda Hydara. The MFWA is currently advocating for the new government of The Gambia to ensure compliance.

The MFWA calls on governments in the region to improve the press freedom situation in their respective countries and also to ensure that crimes against journalists are thoroughly investigated and punished.

State Official Threatens Journalist over Land Dispute Reporting

Felicia Anthonio
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State Official Threatens Journalist over Land Dispute Reporting

The Minister for Water Resources and Member of Parliament for Mukono North Constituency, Honourable Ronald Kibuule is reported to have threatened the correspondent of Bukedde Television, David Musisi Kalyankolo for reporting on a land dispute involving the Minister and residents of Kigaya in Buikwe District in Eastern Uganda.

According to a member of the African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX), Human Rights Network in Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda), the journalist on October 13, 2017, had contacted the minister for his reaction to the reported killing of one Dickson Wasswa Mboowa, a resident of Kigaya by police officers he (the minister) had deployed to guard the disputed land.

“I called the Minister to get his side of the story about the demise of Wasswa but he threatened me that I was dealing with an influential person and he would teach me a lesson if I went ahead and aired the story”, Musisi Kanyankolo told HRNJ-Uganda.

Hon. Kibuule allegedly bought from Musa Kateregga, a resident of the area, an 85-acre land located at Kigaya Landing site in Najja subcounty in the Buikwe District.

The minister is reported to have evicted tenants on the land without compensation in violation of one of the terms in the contract.

Asked if he would continue following up on the story to its end, Musisi insisted that he would not give up on his duty to provide the public with information. He added that the fact that the Minister does not dispute the facts as aired in the story proves that there is an issue to pursue.

AFEX condemns the threat issued by the Minister against the journalist for doing his duty of reporting on a public interest matter. We urge the authorities to call the minister to order and to ensure the security of Musisi. AFEX also calls for investigation into the alleged killing of the tenant by the police and subsequent redress of the violation. We commend Musisi for his perseverance and determination to pursue the story to its logical conclusion.

Felicia Anthonio
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MFWA Commiserates with Fallen Journalist, Other Victims of Gas Explosion

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) learnt with deep sorrow the death of a NET 2 TV reporter and member of the Presidential Press Corps, Mohammed Ashley, in the gas explosion disaster which occurred on October 8, 2017at Atomic Junction, a suburb of Accra.

The journalist was said to be filming the scene from a nearby flyover overlooking the disaster-stricken gas filling station as well as vehicles and shops caught up in the blaze when he fell to his death amidst the earth-shattering explosions.

The MFWA is equally grieved by the deaths of six other people and the various degrees of injury sustained by more than 100 other victims.

Mohammed Ashley died in the line of duty in a circumstance that should make us all reflect once more about the safety of journalists in emergency situations.

As the remains of the diligent reporter are interred today (October 10, 2017), we at the MFWA wish him peaceful rest in the pleasure of his Maker.

Our deepest condol

MFWA Commiserates with Fallen Journalist, Other Victims of Gas Explosion

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) learnt with deep sorrow the death of a NET 2 TV reporter and member of the Presidential Press Corps, Mohammed Ashley, in the gas explosion disaster which occurred on October 8, 2017at Atomic Junction, a suburb of Accra.

The journalist was said to be filming the scene from a nearby flyover overlooking the disaster-stricken gas filling station as well as vehicles and shops caught up in the blaze when he fell to his death amidst the earth-shattering explosions.

The MFWA is equally grieved by the deaths of six other people and the various degrees of injury sustained by more than 100 other victims.

Mohammed Ashley died in the line of duty in a circumstance that should make us all reflect once more about the safety of journalists in emergency situations.

As the remains of the diligent reporter are interred today (October 10, 2017), we at the MFWA wish him peaceful rest in the pleasure of his Maker.

Our deepest condolences go to the bereaved family, the Presidency of which he was a member of the press corps, the management of Kencity, operators of NET 2 TV and the entire media fraternity in Ghana.

Fare thee well, Comrade Ashley!

ences go to the bereaved family, the Presidency of which he was a member of the press corps, the management of Kencity, operators of NET 2 TV and the entire media fraternity in Ghana.

Fare thee well, Comrade Ashley!

State Actors on Rampage: 64 days of Physical Attacks, Censorship and Detention

Felicia Anthonio
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This statement was originally published on mfwa.org on October 3, 2017.

Over a period of two months (July 12-September 16, 2017), state actors in Nigeria have subjected the media to a blitz of violations, including physical attacks, arrests and detentions and censorship in what is becoming a vicious cycle that has the potential to induce widespread self-censorship among the media in the country.

The most recent incident was recorded on September 16 when the Governor of Imo State, Chief Rochas Okorocha, banned Amby Uneze of THISDAY and Chidi Nkwopara of the Vanguard newspaper from covering activities at the State House, the seat of government. Describing the two as “enemies of government”, Chief Okorocha said the two were fond of writing unfavourable reports about his administration.

The above act of censorship by the governor came four days after some 20 soldiers stormed the Abia State Secretariat of the Nigerian Union of Journalists in Umuahia, on September 12 and assaulted journalists there, smashing and seizing their smartphones and ipads. The soldiers accused the journalists of unauthorized coverage of their parade dubbed “Operation Python Dance.’’

There was another incident of physical attack on September 11 when some members of the Department of State Services, (DSS), a paramilitary group, brutalized Toba Adedeji, a reporter of the Osun Defender newspaper and Timothy Agbor, a correspondent of The Point newspaper. Agbor’s mobile phone was also destroyed by his assailants. The journalists’ only ‘crime’ was that they were covering a protest over poor working conditions by the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees in the state capital, Osogbo.

Ten days earlier, on September 1, security aides attached to the Kogi State Government House assaulted Segun Salami, a reporter working with Channels Television. About six policemen beat up the journalist whom they accused of showing disrespect by being on the phone while the national flag was being lowered. Other accounts say one of the police officers accused Salami of taunting him.

In a startling revelation that could have a chilling effect on the online media and abuse the rights of individuals online, the Director of Defence Information of the Nigerian Army, Major-General John Enenche, said on Channels Television on August 23, 2017 that the military is monitoring social media for “troubling activities and misinformation.”

“We have our strategic media centres that monitor the social media to be able to sieve out and react to all the ones that will be anti-government, be anti-military, (and) be anti-security”, Enenche said.

Earlier on July 30, a cameraman from Liberty Television was wounded and his video camera broken in an assault on journalists and participants at a press conference organized by the opposition All Peoples’ Congress. The assailants were thugs reportedly led by a Divisional Police Officer, CSP Abdullahi.

The onslaught by state actors began on July 16 with Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai arraigning Luka Binniyat, a journalist with the Vanguard newspaper before a High Court. Binniyat was charged with “breach of public peace” and false reporting in connection with an article he wrote on January 24, 2017 in which he alleged that some herdsmen had killed five students of the State Ccollege of Education.

Although Binniyat was recovering from an accident and arrived in court on clutches, the Judge ordered him to be remanded in custody until July 20. On the adjourned date, the trial judge, Alhaji Bashir Sukola set impossible bail conditions of N10 million (US$28,000) with two sureties, a bank bond in same amount and the surrender of the sureties’ passport. Unable to meet the conditions, Binniyat was again remanded in prison.

The above violations have grave implications for freedom of expression and access to information in Nigeria because they have the potential to weaken the morale of the media which is the interface between the citizens and the government.

These acts of hostility against journalists infringe directly on section 22 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, (as amended) which imposes on the media the obligation to scrutinise the activities of the government and to hold the government accountable to the people

The prevalence of physical attacks is dreadful. But even more appalling is the fact that the perpetrators in all the above cases are governors and security officers – state actors who are otherwise expected to play a leading role in preventing and addressing violations against press freedom.

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) condemns the culture of machismo being displayed by state actors against the press in Nigeria. We urge the Committee on Information and National Orientation and the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters of the Nigerian Senate to take up these violations with the relevant authorities within the Executive and to work together with the media towards ending the siege on the media by state actors.

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